C

Brecht Baert

Designer

 

C

Brecht Baert

Designer

One day he’s making furniture. The next day he’s styling homes and co-running a shop. In his spare time, he‘s a cook and curator. “I’m into many things. The cross-over between different disciplines is absorbing, and it enriches me.” Brecht is very passionate, and he’s got his way of handling things. What comes will come, and there’s no need to speed things up. Together with his friend Diana Keller, he runs the designer shop Helder. We meet up with Brecht for slow coffee in his apartment in Antwerp (Belgium).

One day he’s making furniture. The next day he’s styling homes and co-running a shop. In his spare time, he‘s a cook and curator. “I’m into many things. The cross-over between different disciplines is absorbing, and it enriches me.” Brecht is very passionate, and he’s got his way of handling things. What comes will come, and there’s no need to speed things up. Together with his friend Diana Keller, he runs the designer shop Helder. We meet up with Brecht for slow coffee in his apartment in Antwerp (Belgium).

 

Can the core of your creativity be found at Helder?

Diana and I need the shop to show our universe. It’s an ideal platform and showroom to receive clients and to make them curious about the things we assemble and create. The store is a natural way of representation, and it works much better for us than going to design fairs to show our products.

By operating naturally as you call it, you work on a small scale. Don’t you feel the need to go bigger and grow faster?

The way we work is very important. We like to do things our way, on a small-scale, follow our pace en we only do projects when we have the time to do it and when we feel like doing it. That’s part of the reason we work on a micro-scale. Even if we want to, we can’t go bigger, due to limited resources. Our shop is tiny, but then again and it suits us perfectly. There are not so many people running in and out, which allows me to manage the store and work on other assignments simultaneously. When the lights are still on after 11 P.M. and the door is unlocked, there’s a big chance an interested customer will walk in. That’s part of the neighborhood. The ambiance out here is very relaxed and enjoyable. And when I’m not upstairs, I’m in the basement sawing, assembling, and painting. There has never been in a day in my life that I didn’t feel like going to work.

Being multifunctional is that something you learned from working with the Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester?

At Demeulemeester, I was in charge of the styling of the shop and the windows and all of the visuals that weren’t part of the collection. During those five years, I learned to set aside my aesthetics and think in function of a client. This altruistic ability comes in very handy while working on interiors.

How would you describe your style?

I don’t like sleek and clean interiors that follow one particular trend or vibe. There’s no point in imitating a style you see in interior magazines. It needs to breathe, be tactile and personal. It has to reflect who you are, and you should use it. In all of my designs, I try to pursue a timeless look.

Nobody likes mass production. We all want something unique, but we don’t wish to pay the correct price for it.

When it comes to interior design, what do people usually ask for?

Bathrooms and kitchens are in demand. Foremost because they are structural and functional spaces, one cannot renovate easily. Clients need a designer and craftsmen to execute it, especially when it comes to made to measure concepts.

The made to measure approach is unique, yet expensive. Or is that a misconception?

The price depends on the materials used and the working hours. Made to measure is time-consuming and therefore not always the cheapest solution. On the other hand, with made to measure you possess a unique piece of furniture that becomes part of the architecture, and you’ve added extra value to the property. But most people think quite differently about it, for made to measure furniture is fixed and cannot be moved. It’s a bit comparable to the interpretation of small productions and small editions. Nobody likes mass production; we all want something unique, but we don’t wish to pay the correct price for it. It has to do with awareness.

You’re an interior designer, shop owner, furniture maker, cook and recently you started operating as a curator for Valerie Traan Gallery. Is organizing exhibitions a direct result of previously mentioned activities?

Not really. Gallery owner Veerle Wenes is a friend of mine, we share the same taste, and suddenly she asked me whether I was interested in organizing an expo in her gallery. I enjoy doing research, looking for new artists and doing the scenography. I hope to do it more often in the future. Organizing an exhibition is a collaboration, and sometimes I miss this sense of human contact when I’m running the shop. Diana has her projects, so sometimes it’s just me with my drawings. Luckily our working space is also a shop with customers walking in and out and it serves as a showroom. Our furniture pieces are on display; they get tested, and people respond to them. I love it; I need the interaction. I need to be triggered by others. I couldn’t bear to be stuck in an office.

 

 

www.studiohelder.be/
Text: Magali Elali
Photography: Bart Kiggen
Brecht Baert